Phoneword dialing in a mobile communication device having a full keyboard

ABSTRACT

A method of dialing a phoneword using a mobile communication device that has full keyboard, which maps numbers to letters differently than on standard telephone keypads. The method detects the prefix of the phoneword and proceeds to display a message on the mobile communication device to indicate that a pre-determined key needs to be pressed before entering letters of the phoneword. The method can also display for selection, candidate phonewords that correspond to a partial entry of the phoneword.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.13/541,985, filed Jul. 5, 2012, the entirety of which is incorporated byreference herein.

FIELD

The present disclosure relates generally to mobile communication deviceshaving a full physical keypad. More particularly, the present disclosurerelates to dialing phonewords using the full physical keypad.

BACKGROUND

Mobile communication devices that have a full physical keypad arepopular for the ease of typing they provide. However, as full physicalkeypads do not generally have number keys marked with the same letterpattern as in standard telephone keypads, using the full physical keypadto dial phonewords can be difficult.

To circumvent this problem, it is possible to print out a drawing of astandard telephone keypad and to keep it with the mobile communicationdevice. This allows a user to refer to the drawing in question whendialing using phonewords. However, keeping the telephone keypad drawingwith the mobile communication device requires effort on the part of theuser.

Therefore, improvements in phoneword dialing in mobile communicationdevices having a full physical keypad are desirable.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Embodiments of the present disclosure will now be described, by way ofexample only, with reference to the attached Figures.

FIG. 1 shows an example of mobile communication device.

FIG. 2 shows a standard telephone keypad.

FIG. 3 shows an example of a mobile communication device equipped with afull keyboard.

FIG. 4 shows a mobile communication device operationally connected to aserver and a database through a network.

FIG. 5A shows a flowchart of a method in accordance with certainexamples of the present disclosure.

FIG. 5B shows a flowchart of another method in accordance with certainexamples of the present disclosure.

FIG. 6 shows flowchart of a further method in accordance with certainexamples of the present disclosure.

FIGS. 7-12 shows a mobile communication device with a Call Log interfaceshowing various items.

FIG. 13 shows a flowchart of yet another method in accordance withcertain examples of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Generally, the present disclosure provides a method for dialingphonewords on mobile communication devices that have a full keyboard.The method can detect that a telephone number being entered may haveassociated thereto a phoneword, and provides a indication to the userthat a pre-determined operation is required in order to dial byphoneword. For example, the indication can be a text indicationdisplayed on the mobile communication device and the operation can bepressing a pre-determined key of the mobile communication device.Additionally, the method can allow the mobile communication device todisplay candidate phonewords or telephone numbers based on the partialtelephone number or phoneword being entered.

It will be appreciated that for simplicity and clarity of illustration,where considered appropriate, reference numerals may be repeated amongthe figures to indicate corresponding or analogous elements. Inaddition, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide athorough understanding of the embodiments described herein. However, itwill be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that theembodiments described herein may be practiced without these specificdetails. In other instances, well-known methods, procedures andcomponents have not been described in detail so as not to obscure theembodiments described herein. Also, the description is not to beconsidered as limiting the scope of the embodiments described herein.

In a first aspect, the present disclosure provides a method of dialing aphoneword using a mobile communication device. The mobile communicationdevice has a full keyboard that comprises a plurality of keys. Thephoneword has a numerical beginning sequence and a remainder sequence.The remainder sequence has associated numbers thereto, at least one ofthe numbers has an associated letter. The method comprises: receivingthe numerical beginning sequence as an input from the full keyboard; andin response to the received numerical beginning sequence, generating anindication to perform an operation on the mobile communication device toenable entry of a letter associated to the phoneword.

In a second aspect, the present disclosure provides a mobilecommunications device that comprises: a full keyboard comprising aplurality of keys and at least one processor coupled to the keyboard,the processor configured to receive inputs from the keyboardrepresenting a phoneword having a numerical beginning sequence and aremainder sequence, the remainder sequence having associated numbersthereto, at least one of the numbers having an associated letter: theprocessor further configured to receive the numerical beginning sequenceas an input from the full keyboard; and in response to the receivednumerical beginning sequence, generate an indication to perform anoperation on the mobile communication device to enable entry of a letterassociated to the phoneword.

The embodiments described herein generally relate to a mobile wirelesscommunication device, hereafter referred to as a mobile communicationdevice or as a mobile device. Examples of applicable communicationdevices include cellular phones, cellular smart-phones, handheldwireless communication devices and the like.

The mobile device is a two-way communication device with datacommunication capabilities including the capability to communicate withother mobile devices or computer systems through a network oftransceiver stations. The mobile device also has the capability to allowvoice communication. Depending on the functionality provided by themobile device, it may be referred to as a data messaging device, atwo-way pager, a cellular telephone with data messaging capabilities, awireless Internet appliance, or a data communication device.

Referring first to FIG. 1, shown therein is a block diagram of anembodiment of a mobile device 100. The mobile device 100 includes anumber of components such as a main processor 102 that controls theoverall operation of the mobile device 100. Communication functions,including data and voice communications, are performed through acommunication subsystem 104. Data received by the mobile device 100 canbe decompressed and decrypted by decoder 103, operating according to anysuitable decompression techniques (e.g. YK decompression, and otherknown techniques) and encryption techniques (e.g. using an encryptiontechniques such as Data Encryption Standard (DES), Triple DES, orAdvanced Encryption Standard (AES)). The communication subsystem 104receives messages from and sends messages to a wireless network 200. Inthis embodiment of the mobile device 100, the communication subsystem104 is configured in accordance with the Global System for MobileCommunication (GSM) and General Packet Radio Services (GPRS) standards.The GSM/GPRS wireless network is used worldwide and it is expected thatthese standards will be superseded eventually by Enhanced Data GSMEnvironment (EDGE) and Universal Mobile Telecommunications Service(UMTS). New standards are still being defined, but it is believed thatthey will have similarities to the network behavior described herein,and it will also be understood by persons skilled in the art that theembodiments described herein are intended to use any other suitablestandards that are developed in the future. The wireless link connectingthe communication subsystem 104 with the wireless network 200 representsone or more different Radio Frequency (RF) channels, operating accordingto defined protocols specified for GSM/GPRS communications. With newernetwork protocols, these channels are capable of supporting both circuitswitched voice communications and packet switched data communications.

Although the wireless network 200 associated with mobile device 100 is aGSM/GPRS wireless network in one implementation, other wireless networksmay also be associated with the mobile device 100 in variantimplementations. The different types of wireless networks that may beemployed include, for example, data-centric wireless networks,voice-centric wireless networks, and dual-mode networks that can supportboth voice and data communications over the same physical base stations.Combined dual-mode networks include, but are not limited to, CodeDivision Multiple Access (CDMA) or CDMA2000 networks, GSM/GPRS networks(as mentioned above), and future third-generation (3G) networks likeEDGE and UMTS. Some other examples of data-centric networks include WiFi802.11, Mobitex™ and DataTAC™ network communication systems. Examples ofother voice-centric data networks include Personal Communication Systems(PCS) networks like GSM and Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA)systems. The main processor 102 also interacts with additionalsubsystems such as a Random Access Memory (RAM) 106, a flash memory 108,a display 110, an auxiliary input/output (I/O) subsystem 112, a dataport 114, a keyboard 116, a speaker 118, a microphone 120, short-rangecommunications 122 and other device subsystems 124. As will be describedfurther below, the keyboard 116, which can be referred to as a keypad,can be a physical keyboard or a keyboard displayed on the display 110when the display in question is a touch-sensitive display. A physicalkeyboard is a keyboard that comprises buttons that can move upon beingdepressed. Further, the keyboard 116 can be a full physical keyboard(full physical keypad), which, in the context of the present disclosure,is to be understood as being a keyboard with one key per letter of theLatin alphabet, or one key per letter of any other suitable alphabet.

Some of the subsystems of the mobile device 100 performcommunication-related functions, whereas other subsystems may provide“resident” or on-device functions. By way of example, the display 110and the keyboard 116 may be used for both communication-relatedfunctions, such as entering (typing) a text message for transmissionover the network 200, and device-resident functions such as a calculatoror task list.

The mobile device 100 can send and receive communication signals overthe wireless network 200 after required network registration oractivation procedures have been completed. Network access is associatedwith a subscriber or user of the mobile device 100. To identify asubscriber, the mobile device 100 requires a SIM/RUIM card 126 (i.e.Subscriber Identity Module or a Removable User Identity Module) to beinserted into a SIM/RUIM interface 128 in order to communicate with anetwork. The SIM card or RUIM 126 is one type of a conventional “smartcard” that can be used to identify a subscriber of the mobile device 100and to personalize the mobile device 100, among other things. Withoutthe SIM card 126, the mobile device 100 is not fully operational forcommunication with the wireless network 200. By inserting the SIMcard/RUIM 126 into the SIM/RUIM interface 128, a subscriber can accessall subscribed services. Services may include: web browsing andmessaging such as e-mail, voice mail, Short Message Service (SMS), andMultimedia Messaging Services (MMS). More advanced services may include:point of sale, field service and sales force automation. The SIMcard/RUIM 126 includes a processor and memory for storing information.Once the SIM card/RUIM 126 is inserted into the SIM/RUIM interface 128,it is coupled to the main processor 102. In order to identify thesubscriber, the SIM card/RUIM 126 can include some user parameters suchas an International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI). An advantage ofusing the SIM card/RUIM 126 is that a subscriber is not necessarilybound by any single physical mobile device. The SIM card/RUIM 126 maystore additional subscriber information for a mobile device as well,including datebook (or calendar) data and recent call data, which canalso be referred to as data items. Alternatively, user identificationdata and data items can also be programmed into the flash memory 108.

The mobile device 100 is a battery-powered device and includes a batteryinterface 132 for receiving one or more rechargeable batteries 130. Inat least some embodiments, the battery 130 can be a smart battery withan embedded microprocessor. The battery interface 132 is coupled to aregulator (not shown), which assists the battery 130 in providing powerV+ to the mobile device 100. Although current technology makes use of abattery, future technologies such as micro fuel cells or capacitor-basedpower supplies may provide the power to the mobile device 100.

The mobile device 100 also includes an operating system 134 and softwarecomponents 136 to 146 which are described in more detail below. Theoperating system 134 and the software components 136 to 146 that areexecuted by the main processor 102 are typically stored in a persistentstore such as the flash memory 108, which may alternatively be aread-only memory (ROM) or similar storage element (not shown). Thoseskilled in the art will appreciate that portions of the operating system134 and the software components 136 to 146, such as specific deviceapplications, or parts thereof, may be temporarily loaded into avolatile store such as the RAM 106. Other software components can alsobe included, as is well known to those skilled in the art.

The subset of software applications 136 that control basic deviceoperations, including data and voice communication applications, willnormally be installed on the mobile device 100 during its manufacture.Other software applications include a message application 138 that canbe any suitable software program that allows a user of the mobile device100 to send and receive electronic messages. Various alternatives existfor the message application 138 as is well known to those skilled in theart. Messages that have been sent or received by the user are typicallystored in the flash memory 108 of the mobile device 100 or some othersuitable storage element in the mobile device 100. In at least someembodiments, some of the sent and received messages may be storedremotely from the device 100 such as in a data store of an associatedhost system that the mobile device 100 communicates with.

The software applications can further include a device state module 140,a Personal Information Manager (PIM) 142, and other suitable modules(not shown). The device state module 140 provides persistence, i.e. thedevice state module 140 ensures that important device data is stored inpersistent memory, such as the flash memory 108, so that the data is notlost when the mobile device 100 is turned off or loses power.

The PIM 142 includes functionality for organizing and managing dataitems of interest to the user, such as, but not limited to, e-mail,contacts, which can also be referred to as an address book), calendarevents, appointments, and task items. The PIM can also organize andmanage any voice mails recorded on the mobile device 100. A PIMapplication has the ability to send and receive data items via thewireless network 200. PIM data items may be seamlessly integrated,synchronized, and updated via the wireless network 200 with the mobiledevice subscriber's corresponding data items stored in, or accessibleby, a host computer system. This functionality creates a mirrored hostcomputer on the mobile device 100 with respect to such items. This canbe particularly advantageous when the host computer system is the mobiledevice subscriber's office computer system.

The mobile device 100 also includes a connect module 144, and aninformation technology (IT) policy module 146. The connect module 144implements the communication protocols that are required for the mobiledevice 100 to communicate with the wireless infrastructure and any hostsystem, such as an enterprise system, that the mobile device 100 isauthorized to interface with.

The connect module 144 includes a set of application programminginterfaces (APIs) that can be integrated with the mobile device 100 toallow the mobile device 100 to use any number of services associatedwith the enterprise system. The connect module 144 allows the mobiledevice 100 to establish an end-to-end secure, authenticatedcommunication pipe with the host system. A subset of applications forwhich access is provided by the connect module 144 can be used to passinformation technology (IT) policy commands from the host system to themobile device 100. This can be done in a wireless or wired manner. Theseinstructions can then be passed to the IT policy module 146 to modifythe configuration of the device 100. Alternatively, in some cases, theIT policy update can also be done over a wired connection.

Other types of software applications can also be installed on the mobiledevice 100. These software applications can be third party applications,which are added after the manufacture of the mobile device 100. Examplesof third party applications include games, calculators, utilities, etc.

The additional applications can be loaded onto the mobile device 100through at least one of the wireless network 200, the auxiliaryinput/output (I/O) subsystem 112, the data port 114, the short-rangecommunications subsystem 122, or any other suitable device subsystem124. This flexibility in application installation increases thefunctionality of the mobile device 100 and may provide enhancedon-device functions, communication-related functions, or both. Forexample, secure communication applications may enable electroniccommerce functions and other such financial transactions to be performedusing the mobile device 100.

The data port 114 enables a subscriber to set preferences through anexternal device or software application and extends the capabilities ofthe mobile device 100 by providing for information or software downloadsto the mobile device 100 other than through a wireless communicationnetwork. The alternate download path may, for example, be used to loadan encryption key onto the mobile device 100 through a direct and thusreliable and trusted connection to provide secure device communication.

The data port 114 can be any suitable port that enables datacommunication between the mobile device 100 and another computingdevice. The data port 114 can be a serial or a parallel port. In someinstances, the data port 114 can be a USB port that includes data linesfor data transfer and a supply line that can provide a charging currentto charge the battery 130 of the mobile device 100.

The short-range communications subsystem 122 provides for communicationbetween the mobile device 100 and different systems or devices, withoutthe use of the wireless network 200. For example, the subsystem 122 mayinclude an infrared device and associated circuits and components forshort-range communication. Examples of short-range communicationstandards include standards developed by the Infrared Data Association(IrDA), Bluetooth, and the 802.11 family of standards developed by IEEE.

In use, a received signal such as a text message, an e-mail message, orweb page download will be processed by the communication subsystem 104and input to the main processor 102. The main processor 102 will thenprocess the received signal for output to the display 110 oralternatively to the auxiliary I/O subsystem 112. A subscriber may alsocompose data items, such as e-mail messages, for example, using thekeyboard 116 in conjunction with the display 110 and possibly theauxiliary I/O subsystem 112. The auxiliary subsystem 112 may includedevices such as: a touch screen, mouse, track ball, infrared fingerprintdetector, or a roller wheel with dynamic button pressing capability. Thekeyboard 116 is preferably an alphanumeric keyboard, a telephone-typekeypad, or both. However, other types of keyboards may also be used. Acomposed item may be transmitted (sent) over the wireless network 200through the communication subsystem 104.

For voice communications, the overall operation of the mobile device 100is substantially similar, except that the received signals are output tothe speaker 118, and signals for transmission are generated by themicrophone 120. Alternative voice or audio I/O subsystems, such as avoice message recording subsystem, can also be implemented on the mobiledevice 100. Although voice or audio signal output is accomplishedprimarily through the speaker 118, the display 110 can also be used toprovide additional information such as the identity of a calling party,duration of a voice call, or other voice call related information.

Phoneword dialing is a well-known method of dialing a telephone numberto which is associated a word, an acronym, or an alphabetical sequencethat is easy to remember. Phoneword dialing is mostly, but notexclusively, associated with toll-free numbers and prime rate numbers.The association of letters to a phoneword is generally set in accordancewith the mapping shown at Table I.

TABLE I Letter Number a, b, or c 2 d, e, or f 3 g, h, or i 4 j, k, or l5 m, n, or o 6 p, q, r, or s 7 t, u, or v 8 w, x, y, or z 9

As examples of phonewords, the phoneword 1-800-GOFEDEX corresponds tothe telephone number 1-800-463-3339 and the phoneword 1-800-FLOWERScorresponds to the telephone number 1-800-356-9377. The letter-to-numbermapping of Table I has a counterpart standard telephone keypad 200 shownat FIG. 2, which is used on landline telephone as well as on some mobiledevices.

Progress in mobile communication devices has led to mobile communicationdevices that have full physical keyboards. This allows users to write(type) messages efficiently. However, dialing by phoneword using a fullphysical keyboard can be challenging as discussed below.

FIG. 3 shows a mobile communication device in accordance to certainexamples of the present disclosure. The mobile communication device 100has a full physical keyboard 116 and a display 110. The full physicalkeyboard 116 has keys with the letters W, E, R, S, D, F, Z, X, and Cassociated with numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9 respectively.However, any type of keyboard having a different association of lettersto numbers is also within the scope of the present disclosure. As anexample of a keyboard that is also within the scope of the presentdisclosure is a keyboard that has keys with the letters Q, W, E, R, T,Y, U, I, O, and P associated to the numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9,and 0 respectively. In the present context, a key with a particularletter being associated with a particular number includes keys whereboth the particular letter and particular number appear (are inscribed)on the key.

In some mobile communication devices with full physical keyboards,pressing a pre-determined key, for example, the “ALT” key 117, willenable dialing an alphabetic sequence of a phoneword. As an example,using the full physical keyboard 116 to dial 1-800-GOFEDEX would requirethe user to dial (enter) 1-800 followed by holding down the “ALT” key117 while pressing the keys G, O, F, E, D, E, and X (or by pressing andreleasing the “ALT” key 117 before entering each letter G, O, F, E, D,E, and X). As simple as this may sound, a large proportion of users willnot be aware of this feature and, consequently, will not be able toefficiently dial (enter) phonewords using the full physical keyboard116.

The present disclosure can address this situation by indicating to theuser that dialing by phoneword (entering letters of a phoneword) can bedone by holding down the “ALT” key 117 or any other suitablepre-determined key. The indication provided to the user can be a visualindication displayed on the display 110. For example, an indication 202spelling out “Press ALT to dial by letter”, which is a visual or textindication, can be displayed on the display 110. Any other suitable typeof indication can be used without departing from the scope of thepresent disclosure. For example, instead of, or in addition to, the textindication 202 “Press ALT to dial by letter”, there can be a pictograph(also referred to as a pictogram or an ideogram) indication displayed onthe display. As another example of a type of indication that can be usedto indicate that a pre-determined key can be used to dial by letter, themobile device 100 could play an audio indication to press thepre-determined key to dial by letter. The audio indication can be aspoken message, a ringtone, or any other suitable type audio indication.As yet another example of a type of indication that can be used toindicate that a pre-determined key can be used to dial by letter, themobile device 100 could, if it includes a vibration device (e.g, a vibemotor or piezoelectric elements), vibrate to draw the user's attentionto a text or pictograph indication displayed on the display 110.

In some embodiments, instead of having to hold down a pre-determined key(e.g., the “ALT” key) to enable dialing letters, the user might have topress and hold, for a pre-determined time period, the keys of theletters of the phoneword. For example, if the user wishes to enter theletter R using the keyboard 116 of FIG. 3, the user would press and holdthe key on which are inscribed the letter R and the number 3. At firstthe number 3 would be entered but, after the key is pressed and heldpressed for the pre-determined period of time, the letter R would beentered and would replace the number 3.

Other than 1-800 numbers, examples of toll-free numerical beginningsequences that may have associated thereto a phoneword and that cancause the mobile communication device 100 to provide an indication topress a pre-determined key (or to perform any other suitable action) todial by letter can include, for example, in North America, 1-855, 1-866,1-877, and 1-888 (for the purpose of the present disclosure, a numericalbeginning sequence can be referred to as a prefix or as a telephonenumber prefix). Additionally, the indication to press a pre-determinedkey to dial by letter can be provided when the telephone establishesthat the numerical beginning sequence is that of a prime-rate telephonenumber, which may have associated thereto a phoneword. For example, inNorth America, the initial dialing sequence 1-900 is that of prime-ratetelephone numbers, which can be associated with chat lines, voting fortelevision shows, contests, and other types of services. Other countriesmay have different toll-free telephone number numerical beginningsequences as well as different prime-rate telephone number numericalbeginning sequence. For example, in Germany, the equivalent of 1-800numbers is 0800 numbers. Any type of telephone number that has anumerical beginning sequence that may have associated thereto aphoneword is to be considered as being within the scope of the presentdisclosure.

The indication (e.g., the text indication 202) can be provided when themobile communication device determines that the initial dialingsequence, for example 1-800, is that of a telephone number that may haveassociated thereto a phoneword. Alternatively, the indication 202 can beprovided when the mobile communication device 100 is set into itstelephone mode by pressing the “place call” key 204. This can be usefulwhen local telephone numbers have associated thereto a phoneword.

FIG. 4 shows an example of the mobile communication device 100 beingoperationally connected to the network 200 in accordance with certainexamples of the present disclosure. The network 200 is operationallyconnected to a server 210, which can include, or which can be connectedto, a database 212. The database 212 can include telephone numbers or alisting of telephone numbers that may have associated thereto aphoneword. The listing can include toll-free telephone numbers,prime-rate telephone numbers, and any other type of telephone numberthat has an initial dialing sequence indicative of the possibility ofthe telephone number having a phoneword associated thereto. The databasecan also include a table of prefixes to which phonewords may beassociated. Such prefixes may include toll free number prefixes (e.g.,1-800, 1-888, etc.) and prime rate telephone number prefixes (e.g.,1-900).

Also shown in FIG. 4 is a different network 201 to which the mobilecommunication device 100 can become operationally connected when themobile communication device 100 enters the coverage area of the network201. The network 201 is operationally connected to a server 211, whichcan include, or which can be connected to, a database 213. The database213 can include telephone numbers or a listing of telephone numbers thatmay have associated thereto a phoneword. The listing can includetoll-free telephone numbers, prime-rate telephone numbers, and any othertype of telephone number that has an initial dialing sequence indicativeof the possibility of the telephone number having a phoneword associatedthereto. The database can also include a table of prefixes to whichphonewords may be associated. Such prefixes may include toll free numberprefixes and prime rate telephone number prefixes. The prefixesassociated to the database 213 may be different than those associatedwith the database 212.

When the mobile communication 100 device is activated (switched on) andits network communications capabilities are enabled, the mobilecommunication device 100 connects to the network 200. During theestablishment of a connection between the mobile communication device100 and the network 200, the mobile communication device 100 can obtainparameters from the network 200. The parameters can include theaforementioned prefixes that may have associated thereto phonewords. Theparameters and prefixes obtained by the mobile communication device 100from the network 200 may depend on the location of the network 200. Forexample, if the network 200 is in North America, the parameters mightinclude, as prefixes (numerical beginning sequences), 1-800, 1-855,1-866, 1-877, 1-888, and 1-900. As another example, if the network 200is in Germany, the uploaded parameters would include, as a numericalbeginning sequence, 0800. The parameters can be stored, for example, inthe RAM 106 (shown at FIG. 1) or in any other suitable memory of themobile communication device 100.

Once the aforementioned parameters and valid numerical beginningsequences are present (stored) in the mobile communication device 100, aphoneword indication program running on the mobile communication device100 can provide an indication when a numerical beginning sequence thatmay have associated thereto a phoneword is received (entered) at themobile communication device 100. The phoneword indication program can beone of the software components 136 (FIG. 1) of the mobile communicationdevice 100.

FIG. 5A is a flowchart of a method according to certain embodiments ofthe present disclosure and relates to how an indication can be providedwhen dialing telephone numbers that may have associated thereto aphoneword. At action 214, the mobile communication device is activated.Following activation, at action 216, the mobile communication device 100connects to the network 200 and obtains numerical beginning sequences(prefixes) from the network 200. The valid numerical beginning sequencescan be downloaded from the network 200 by the mobile communicationdevice 100 or, can be uploaded by the network 200 to the mobilecommunication device 100. The valid numerical beginning sequences inquestion will depend on the location of the network 200. For the purposeof the present disclosure, the location of the network 200 includes thearea covered (served) by the network 200. As an example, when thenetwork 200 is located in North America, the parameters obtained by themobile communication device may include toll free telephone numbernumerical beginning sequences (1-800, -855, 1-866, 1-877, and 1-888),and the prime rate numerical beginning sequence (1-900). Further, thevalid numerical beginning sequences obtained by the mobile communicationdevice 100 from the network 200 may pertain only to toll-free telephonenumbers accessible from the province of state in which the network 200is located.

At step 218, still at the mobile communication device 200, a numericalbeginning sequence is received (entered) and, at step 220, the numericalbeginning sequence received (entered) at 218 is compared to prefixesobtained at step 216. The comparison effected at the mobilecommunication device 100 will return a match status indicating whetheror not there is a match between the numerical beginning sequence enteredat step 218 and the prefixes obtained at step 216. At step 220, themobile communication device 100 provides the indication to perform anaction if the match status is positive. If the match is negative, theindication is not provided. As described above, the indication caninclude, among others, displaying a text message on the display 110 ofthe mobile communication device.

FIG. 5B is a flowchart of a method according to certain embodiments ofthe present disclosure and relates to how an indication can be providedwhen dialing, with a mobile communication device that has a fullkeyboard, telephone numbers that may have associated thereto aphoneword. The method of FIG. 5B relates to a scenario where a mobilecommunication device, for example, the mobile communication device 100of FIG. 4, is going from being connected to an original network (e.g.,network 200 in FIG. 4) to being connected to a different network (e.g.,network 201 in FIG. 4) that may have different valid numerical beginningsequences.

At step 215, the mobile communication device 100 operating in (connectedto) a network 200 (FIG. 4) enters a coverage area of a different network201 (FIG. 4). Subsequent entering the coverage area of the differentnetwork 201, at step 217, the mobile communication device 100 connectsto the different network 201 and obtains numerical beginning sequences(prefixes) from the different network 201. The valid numerical beginningsequences can be downloaded from the different network 201 by the mobilecommunication device 100 or, can be uploaded by the different network201 to the mobile communication device 100. The valid numericalbeginning sequences in question will depend on the location of thedifferent network 201. For the purpose of the present disclosure, thelocation of the different network 201 includes the area covered (areaserved) by the different network 201. The valid numerical beginningsequences obtained by the mobile communication device 100 from thedifferent network 201 may pertain only to toll-free telephone numbersaccessible from the province, state, or jurisdiction in which thedifferent network 201 is located.

At step 219, still at the mobile communication device 200, a numericalbeginning sequence is received (entered) and, at step 221, the numericalbeginning sequence received (entered) at 219 is compared to prefixesobtained at step 217. The comparison effected at the mobilecommunication device 100 will return a match status indicating whetheror not there is a match between the numerical beginning sequence enteredat step 219 and the prefixes obtained at step 217. At step 221, themobile communication device 100 provides the indication to perform anoperation if the match status is positive. If the match is negative, theindication is not provided. As described above, the indication caninclude, among others, displaying a text message on a display of themobile communication device.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart of a method in accordance to certain examples ofthe present disclosure. At the mobile communication device 100, thenumerical beginning sequence of a phoneword, or of a telephone numberthat might be a phoneword, is received (entered) at action 224.Subsequently, at action 226, the numerical beginning sequence is sent tothe server 210, through the network 200. At action 228, the server 210accesses the database 212 and compares the numerical beginning sequencereceived from the mobile communication device 100 to numerical beginningsequences that may have associated thereto a phoneword. The comparisoneffected at the server 210 will return a match status indicating whetheror not there is a match between the numerical beginning sequence sentfrom the mobile communication device 100 to the server 210 and thenumerical beginning sequences listed in the database 212. At action 230,the match status is sent to the mobile communication device 100, throughthe network 200. At action 232, the mobile communication device 100provides the indication to perform an action if the match status ispositive, otherwise, the indication is not provided. As described above,the indication can include, among others, displaying a text message(text indication) on the display 110 of the mobile communication device.

In some mobile communication devices, pressing the “place call” key 204will result in a Call Log interface being shown on the display of thedevice. The Call Log interface allows the user to enter, using thekeyboard 116, a telephone number to be dialed. As the telephone numberis being dialed, i.e., as digits are entered, previously logged calledtelephone numbers that match the sequence of digits entered thus far aredisplayed to the user who may stop entering digits of the telephonenumber and instead select one of the telephone numbers being displayed.FIG. 7 shows an example of a mobile communication device 100 with a CallLog interface 234, which has an input window 236 in which the digits1-555-684 have been entered. As a result of those digits having beenentered, the Call Log interface 234 displays three numbers that werepreviously dialed and that include the beginning sequence 1-555-684,namely, 1-555-684-4072, 1-555-684-3965, and 1-555-684-5238.Alternatively, or additionally, the Call Log interface can present tothe user numbers that are listed in a telephone number store present ina memory of the mobile communication device 100. If the user wishes todial a telephone number that does not correspond to one of the threedisplayed numbers, he simply continues to enter digits of the telephonenumber he wishes to reach. If the user wishes to dial one of the threenumbers appearing on the Call Log interface 234, he can simply selectthe desired telephone number using any suitable display navigation meanssuch as, for example, a navigation button 238.

The Call Log interface 234 may also be used to search contact namesstored in the mobile communication device 100. For example, when theuser wishes to retrieve contact information (e.g., a telephone number)of a person named “Marie”, he simply begins entering the letters M, A,R, I, and E using the keyboard 116. As the user enters the letters, thenames that have a corresponding sequence of letters are displayed on theCall Log interface and can be selected by the user, at any time. FIG. 8shows an example where the letters M, A, and R have been entered in theinput window 36 and where the names, and their corresponding telephonenumbers, Marc, Marie, and Mario are displayed in the Call Log interface234. The user can select “Marie” using the navigation button 238.

The Call Log interface 234 is often set by the mobile communicationdevice manufacturer to display, in the input window 236, numbers as longas only numbers have been entered at the keyboard 116. For example, ifthe user wishes to search for the contact information of a person named“Denis”, the user would enter the letters D, E, N, I, and S. The searchwindow 236 would start displaying 5 (corresponds to D) and then 52(correspond to DE); simultaneously, the Call Log interface 234 woulddisplay names that begin with D and E, as well as telephone numbers thatbegin with 52. FIG. 9 shows an example of a scenario where the digits 5and 2 are displayed in the search window 236 and where the names Denis,Derek, and Devon are listed in the Call Log interface 234, which doesnot, in this example, list any telephone number beginning with 52.Subsequently, after the user has entered the letter N, which does nothave any number associated thereto, the search window 236 would displayDEN and only Denis would be displayed in the Call Log interface 234.This is shown in FIG. 10.

As such, a user dialing a phoneword that includes letters that do nothave associated thereto a letter will likely notice when he missedholding down the “ALT” key (or to perform any other pre-determinedsuitable action) to dial a letter. For example, if the user beginsdialing the phoneword 1-800-FLOWERS but forgets to hold the “ALT” keywhen using the keyboard 116, the Call Log interface 234 will firstdisplay, in the search window 236, the number 18006, which is shown inFIG. 11. However, as the user dials the letter L, the search window 234will display WX00FL, shown in FIG. 12, which is nonsensical in that itis neither a telephone number nor an entry in the contacts list of themobile communication device. Clearly, the user should then notice that adialing error was made and that correction is required. Similarly, ifthe user begins dialing the phoneword 1-800-GOFEDEX but forgets to holdthe “ALT” key when using the keyboard 116, the Call Log interface 234will first display, in the search window 236, the number 1800. However,as the user dials the letter G, the search window 234 will displayWX00G, which, again, is nonsensical in that it is neither a telephonenumber nor an entry in the contacts list of the mobile communicationdevice.

Another type of error when dialing phonewords is when the user holdsdown the “ALT” key when dialing some letters but not when dialing otherletters that happen to have numbers associated thereto. The letters inquestion are, in the example of the keyboard 116, W, E, R, S, D, F, Z, Xand C. As an example, if the phoneword to be entered is 1-800-GOFEDEX,which corresponds to the telephone number 1-800-463-3339, but the useromits to hold down the pre-determined key (e.g., the “ALT” key) afterhaving properly dialed 1-800-GO, the resulting phoneword entered wouldbe 1-800-GO62528, corresponding to the telephone number 1-800-4662528,which, as far as the inventors are aware of, is not an assigned orregistered 1-800 number. FIG. 13 is a flowchart of a method of thepresent disclosure in accordance to certain embodiments of the presentdisclosure, which can help reduce the occurrence of such errors.

FIG. 13 is described as follows. At action 240, the numerical beginningsequence (or prefix) of a phoneword is entered at a mobile communicationdevice. In response to having received the numerical beginning sequence,the mobile communication device generates (provides), at action 242, anindication advising that a particular operation needs to be performed inorder to enter an alphabetical sequence or a letter of the phoneword.For example, the indication can be a text indication shown on a displayof the mobile communication device, and the operation can be anactuation of a pre-determined key on the keyboard of the mobilecommunication device.

At action 246, the mobile communication device receives a letter or anumber entered at the mobile communication device. A letter is receivedif the above-noted operation was performed and if a key having theletter associated thereto was pressed in concordance with the operation.A number is received if the above-noted operation was not performed anda number key was pressed. If a number was entered, the method proceedsto action 248 where the letter associated with the input provided at 244is identified. For example, it the number 5 was and if that key also hasassociated thereto the letter D, then the letter identified at 248 willbe the letter D.

At action 250, partial candidate phonewords (which include candidatetelephone numbers) are constructed in accordance with the numericalbeginning sequence received at 240, in accordance with the numberentered at 246, and in accordance with the letter identified at action248. For example, if the numerical beginning sequence is 1-800, thenumber entered at 246 is 5, and the letter identified at 248 is D, thenthe partial candidate phonewords are 1-800-D (which corresponds to1-800-3 when the letter D corresponds to 3 on a standard keypad) and1-800-5.

At action 252, the partial candidate phonewords are compared to assignedphonewords to identify assigned phonewords (which include assignedtelephone numbers) that include the partial candidate phonewords.Referring back to FIG. 4, the comparison can be effected at the server210, which can be referred to as a comparison module. The assignedphonewords that include the partial candidate phonewords are displayedon the mobile communication device at action 254 where they can beselected by the user. Optionally, at action 253, the assigned phonewordsthat include the partial phonewords can be ranked in accordance with anysuitable ranking method or predictive algorithm to obtain rankedassigned phonewords. The ranked assigned phonewords can be displayed inrank order at action 254. As an example, the ranking may be performed inaccordance with how often the phonewords in question are called by theuser of the mobile communication device or by all the users that havedialed the phonewords in question. Referring back to FIG. 4, the rankingof the phonewords may be performed at the server 210.

Referring again to action 246 of FIG. 13, if a letter is received, themethod proceeds to action 256 where a partial candidate phoneword isconstructed. As an example, if the input was the letter D, then theconstructed phoneword will be 1-800-D. The method then proceeds toactions 252 and 254 as described above.

Following action 254, the method proceeds to action 258 where continueddialing of the phoneword or selection of a displayed telephone number(phoneword) can be effected. If dialing is to be continued, the methodloops back to action 246 to receive another letter or number. Forexample, if the letter E is received, and, for example, if the existingpartial phonewords are 1-800-D and 1-800-5 as described above, then theconstructed phonewords resulting from 256 will be 1-800-DE (1-800-33 ona standard keypad) and 1-800-5E (1-800-53). However, if the number 2 onfull keyboard of mobile communication device was entered, then themethod proceeds to action 248 where the letter associated with thenumber 2 is identified (the letter in question is E in the presentexample). Subsequently, at action 250, the partial candidate phonewords1-800-D2 (1-800-32), 1-800-52, 1-800-DE (1-800-33), and 1-800-53 areconstructed. The method may then proceeds to actions 252, 253, 254, and258 as described above.

It is to be noted that the candidate telephone numbers displayed ataction 254 can be displayed as phonewords, numbers, or as both withoutdeparting from the scope of the present disclosure. For example, thephoneword 1-800-GOFEDEX could be displayed as such or as 1-800-463-3339,or as both 1-800-GOFEDEX and 1-800-463-3339.

Upon the selection of a candidate number at action 258, the methodproceeds to action 260 where the call can be placed.

In the preceding description, for purposes of explanation, numerousdetails are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding ofthe embodiments. However, it will be apparent to one skilled in the artthat these specific details are not required. In other instances,well-known electrical structures and circuits are shown in block diagramform in order not to obscure the understanding. For example, specificdetails are not provided as to whether the embodiments described hereinare implemented as a software routine, hardware circuit, firmware, or acombination thereof.

Embodiments of the disclosure can be represented as a computer programproduct stored in a machine-readable medium (also referred to as acomputer-readable medium, a processor-readable medium, or a computerusable medium having a computer-readable program code embodied therein).The machine-readable medium can be any suitable tangible, non-transitorymedium, including magnetic, optical, or electrical storage mediumincluding a diskette, compact disk read only memory (CD-ROM), memorydevice (volatile or non-volatile), or similar storage mechanism. Themachine-readable medium can contain various sets of instructions, codesequences, configuration information, or other data, which, whenexecuted, cause a processor to perform steps in a method according to anembodiment of the disclosure. Those of ordinary skill in the art willappreciate that other instructions and operations necessary to implementthe described implementations can also be stored on the machine-readablemedium. The instructions stored on the machine-readable medium can beexecuted by a processor or other suitable processing device, and caninterface with circuitry to perform the described tasks.

The above-described embodiments are intended to be examples only.Alterations, modifications and variations can be effected to theparticular embodiments by those of skill in the art without departingfrom the scope, which is defined solely by the claims appended hereto.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of dialing a phoneword using a mobilecommunication device, the mobile communication device having a keyboardcomprising a plurality of keys, the phoneword having a numericalbeginning sequence and a remainder sequence, the remainder sequencehaving associated numbers thereto, at least one of the numbers having anassociated letter, the method comprising: detecting input by thekeyboard of a phoneword; and in response to the detection of the inputby the keyboard of the phoneword, displaying a prompt in a display ofthe mobile communication device to complete input of the phoneword byperforming an operation on the keyboard to enable entry of one or moreletters of the phoneword in lieu of corresponding numbers.
 2. The methodof claim 1 wherein: the prompt is a message indicating the operation toperform.
 3. The method of claim 2 wherein the operation includespressing a key of the keyboard.
 4. The method of claim 1 furthercomprising receiving a number at the full keyboard.
 5. The method ofclaim 4 further comprising identifying a letter associated with thenumber.
 6. The method of claim 5 further comprising constructing partialcandidate phonewords in accordance with: the numerical beginningsequence; the number; and the letter associated to the number.
 7. Themethod of claim 6 further comprising: comparing the partial candidatephonewords with known phonewords to obtain candidate phonewords; anddisplaying for selection, on the mobile communication device, thecandidate phonewords.
 8. The method of claim 7 wherein: displaying forselection is preceded by ranking the candidate phonewords to obtainranked candidate phonewords; and displaying for selection includesdisplaying, as a function of rank, the ranked candidate phonewords. 9.The method of claim 8 wherein ranking the candidate phonewords includesranking the candidate phonewords as a function of a number of callsplaced to each candidate phoneword.
 10. The method of claim 7 whereincomparing the partial candidate phonewords with known phonewords ispreceded by accessing a database of phonewords.
 11. The method of claim6 further comprising: providing the partial candidate phonewords to acomparison module; and receiving, from the comparison module, candidatephonewords that match the partial candidate phonewords.
 12. The methodof claim 11 further comprising displaying for selection, on the mobilecommunication device, the candidate phonewords.